Come salvare un matrimonio e rovinare la propria vita

Dean Martin shows his comedic talents in these fast laugh a minute comedy written by the author of Pillow Talk and That Touch Of Mink. It deserves to be re-released. Stella Stevens looks terrific. It just goes to show you that you don't need a large cast to produce a good comedy and this one is better than just good. I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

This is a very well written movie. I missed the very beginning. I wasn't prepared for the articulate war of the sexes theme. Some people might consider it too talky. At times it sounded like a George Bernard Shaw play. Sometimes it seemed that Dino was sleepwalking and this much wordplay was a little too much for him. Perhaps the interesting dimensions owe something to the participation of Wallach his wife. Movies from this period project a particular mise en scene of imperial America at its zenith of hubris and naivitee. The characters Martin and Wallach play are unselfconsciously "upper class" and enjoy the life of extreme privilege without any consideration if they deserve their good fortune. The US was up to its neck in Vietnam at the time and modern consumer society was being born. A nice old chestnut from a time we can remember fondly but not aspire to emulate.

A film that is, at times, brilliantly funny and, at other times, mean spirited, "How to Save a Marriage" has many things going for it, including:

Tight writing that interweaves complex, comedic misunderstandings.

Strong casting, including the stars Stella Stevens and Dean Martin, and others like Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, and Betty Field ("Picnic").

Some notable fashions that adorn the beautiful Ms. Stevens.

This is a prototypical film of the sixties, a battle of the sexes that helps codify the lines of conflict, though it goes too far. As Dean is dragged deeper and deeper into a quagmire of his own making, we might ask: is he getting what he deserves or is he a victim of his own good intentions? The film never clarifies that issue, seeming to equate his character's values with those of the other male characters, who range from benign to predatory. More subtlety might have been achieved with an actor like Jack Lemmon.

Ms. Stevens, in a role written for Marilyn Monroe, comes close to achieving the naivete cum sensuality that Ms. Monroe brings to her performances.

The ending of the film is awkward, if not a cop out. But I still recommend this film for its genuine depiction of the gender war-with all its confusion-of the sixties.

Carol works in a New York City department store and hopes for advancement, but a lecherous supervisor stands in her way.

That's okay. She is given the menial task of delivering dry cleaning, and she ends up finding out that her top manager Harry is cheating on his wife Mary.

Harry attempts to keep Carol quiet by offering her a big promotion. He also talks over the situation with his longtime friend David, a fun-loving bachelor who finds out only part of the story and thinks Harry is cheating with Carol.

To save Harry's marriage, David pretends to be interested in Carol (hoping she will drop Harry) and finds many opportunities to visit her workplace. Soon they are dating, and David sets her up with an apartment in the same posh building where Harry's mistress Muriel lives. As luck would have it, Carol and Muriel become friends. Another friend is landlady Thelma, who has few good things to say about men.

But David soon finds he is in over his head. And one thing he should never have done was claim to have an ex-wife and show Carol where she is buried.

The results are hilarious.

The writing is very clever. So many misunderstandings create considerable potential for laughs.

Dean Martin seems to be a better singer than an actor, but if this movie is evaluated as a mere screwball comedy rather than Oscar material, he does just fine here. Likewise, Eli Wallach is well suited for a role as a straying businessman, but it won't be his most memorable film appearance. Stella Stevens gives a strong performance. One standout actor is a man who finds out what David's plans are for his fictional wife. He is very funny.

It's a worthy effort.

A delicious comedy - that's how HOW TO SAVE A MARRIAGE AND RUIN YOUR LIFE must be classified. When HOW TO SAVE A MARRIAGE was released in 1968, I was only a teenager. Today, I regret I had not the opportunity to watch this film by that time, because I always loved that kind of comedy - not necessary to mention Doris Day's ones. Unfortunately, I only had the chance to see it in the late 1970's, firstly at TV broadcasting and afterwards, at my video-cassette home. It might seem strange to some persons, to affirm that all stars on this film have a nice performance - in special the gallant Dean Martin, the sweet Stella Stevens and the versatile Elli Wallach. On the other hand, the critics are generally very rigorous with this kind of comedy because they always expect more sensuality (or more obscenity) on scenes, however, this comedy is very funny just because the absence of malice and the presence of ingredients like a sweet sensuality - a kind of purity which we cannot see neither on today's films nor at real life. The situations are very hilariant - in special that one on which the mother-in-law's grave of a certain man is changed by asking of Carol Corman's (Stella Stevens) to the sunny side of the cemetery, as she believed on that grave was the body of David's wife, and her decision creates a lot of confusion. Stella Stevens is also very fun when she discovers David was never married, and just because of that, she practices to launch darts against David's shirt as if she was launched them over him - her beautiful face express an ingenious and hilarious hate against David, not only because of her beauty but also because of her incredible charm and, of course, her great talent as a comedian. Because of the absolute absence of obscenity at scenes, I think this film deserves to be released on DVD - as this comedy takes some of us for the good times. Special feature to Michel Legrand and to his beautiful song titled "Winds Of Change", and the superb performance by The Ray Conniff Singers at overture and final credits.